Are You Negative?

Today during Rodney's sermon we read scriptures about Andrew and Philip. The text was about Jesus feeding the 5000. Philip could only see the reasons why these people couldn't be fed and Andrew found Jesus a way to get it done.

One disciple was negative and not very helpful, one was positive and, very much, helpful. Do you know people who are negative like Philip? Me too. Hey, sometimes I feel that way, myself. It makes for a very sad day when I am.  All I can do is feel grouchy and sorry for myself.

When we are being so negative we tend to miss all the blessings we have around us. We don't see the beauty in the world. We don't see how wonderful our families are. We don't see how lucky we are to have such wonderful friends. We don't see that God has given us so much. All we see is that others have more than us. That even though they may not even believe in Christ, they seem to be doing so much better than we think we are doing.

In the scriptures we can read that the author of Psalm 73 seemed to feel just like us........


Psalm 73:1The Message (MSG)

73 1-5 No doubt about it! God is good—
good to good people, good to the good-hearted.
But I nearly missed it,
missed seeing his goodness.
I was looking the other way,
looking up to the people
At the top,
envying the wicked who have it made,
Who have nothing to worry about,
not a care in the whole wide world.



 The author realized that he almost missed all of what God had given to him.
He realized that his focus was on the wrong thing. He realized that he was being far from positive.
How sad it is that we can be just like him. We waste so much time and effort looking away from the good around us. Looking away from the miracles God gives to us everyday.

Let's all of us try working at staying positive this week.

I bet our days will go so much better if we keep our eyes turned toward all the goodness of God. I know that we will definitely have better days. Maybe we will even be surprised at all the wonderful things we find in this world. Maybe we will be surprised at the energy we have because we are not wasting it worrying about what we cannot do anything about.

People will see smiles on our faces and not frowns. They will see God shining through. Then, just maybe, they will want the same smile on their faces too!


Here's to a great week!!!


Blessings

 

Tired Joy!!

Yesterday Rodney was the most tired I have seen him in a long, long time. But on the other hand he was the happiest and the most content I have seen him in a long, long time. Besides loving our Lord with all his heart, Rodney has a passion for hungry people and he also has a passion for our missions in Guatemala and around the world.

Another thing that Rodney has, is a passion for is planning and getting things done. He has a God given knack for it. He also has a knack of helping others plan and get things done, as well. Over the last several months he and a wonderful group of people have taken this knack and ran with it. Yesterday all their planning, praying, meeting and worrying came together to bring about a miracle for, oh so, many hungry people.

This miracle came about as over 500 volunteers came together, in a elementary gymnasium, in a small town in Indiana and packed a grand total of 155,520 meals in just over 6 hours, with "Kids Against Hunger". These people did all of this work with humility, with grace, with compassion and above all with a love for the hungry children and the hungry adults of this world. As I took a break and sat back and watched the bee hive of activity, I could just see God smiling.

In the gym there was cheering, singing, dancing, and happiness could be felt all over. Even though I know they had to be tired, their feet had to hurt, their backs had to hurt and they were probably getting hungry themselves. But you would have never known it as the boxes of meals just kept getting filled and packed away to be sent wherever they are needed.

You could see the look of "wow, it sure has all come together" on Rodney's face as he went around taking pictures of everyone. Made me giggle to see him acting like a kid who had just woken up on Christmas morning. 

Yes he was happy but he also was very moved. In our meeting together before we went out to start packing the meals Rodney spoke from his heart to the group. He told us of when he went to Guatemala and saw the children, some of these meals will feed. You could hear the tears in his voice as he showed us some pictures he had taken of these sweet children. I know that Rodney truly believes that we should be about the business of taking care of the innocent and less fortunate. As does everyone else  who worked to do just that yesterday. They all were about what these scriptures tell us......

Isaiah 58:6-8

Common English Bible (CEB)

 

⁶ Isn’t this the fast I choose:
    releasing wicked restraints, untying the ropes of a yoke,
    setting free the mistreated,
    and breaking every yoke?
⁷ Isn’t it sharing your bread with the hungry
    and bringing the homeless poor into your house,
    covering the naked when you see them,
    and not hiding from your own family?
⁸ Then your light will break out like the dawn,
    and you will be healed quickly.
Your own righteousness will walk before you,
    and the Lord’s glory will be your rear guard.

 

I am so happy to married to a man who listens to our God.  And I am so happy to be apart of a church, of a town and of the many organizations, from yesterday, that truly listened to the call of our God and truly wanted to be apart of His work.  For surely their light is shining brighter today and their righteousness is walking before them.

Blessings!